Romualdova Cave

Romualdova pećina (Romuald’s Cave), located in Istria (Croatia) on the eastern slopes of the Lim Channel, is one of the most important Pleistocene archaeological sites in the region. Within its 100 meters of length, there are traces of extensive animal activity, mostly cave bears, hunter-gatherer occupation, as well as rock art. Today, the cave is protected as an important bat habitat. Horizons dating to the late Middle Palaeolithic were first recognized during excavations in 2007 and 2008, when Mousterian stone tools were found. These were further investigated during systematic excavations carried out from 2014 to 2017. 

As part of the Last Neanderthal project, test trenches will be excavated in front of the cave entrance, and extensive geological sampling will be conducted on the profiles of the interior trenches. The main goal is to refine the chronology of the archaeological layers, while additional interdisciplinary methods (zooarchaeology, lithic analysis, palaeoproteomics, etc.) will help provide a more precise insight into the lives of these hunter-gatherers. 

As sites of this age are generally rare in the region, Romuald’s Cave offers a unique opportunity to investigate the late Middle and early Upper Palaeolithic life of Northern Adriatic populations in greater detail.